Electronic device and method for changing magnification of image using multiple cameras

ABSTRACT

An electronic device and method are disclosed. The device includes a display, a plurality of cameras, a memory storing instructions, and at least one processor. The processor implements the method, including: displaying on the display, a preview of a first image acquired using a first camera from among the plurality of cameras, receiving a first input while the preview is displayed, wherein the first input is received before reception of a second input adjusting a magnification level of the preview, in response to receiving the first input, activating a second camera from among the plurality of cameras, receiving the second input for adjusting the magnification of the preview when a second image, distinct from the first image, is acquired using the activated second camera, and displaying the preview, based on at least a part of the second image and at least partially based on receiving the second input.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/466,056, filed on Sep. 3, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/793,216 filed on Feb. 18, 2020 andassigned U.S. Pat. No. 11,115,598 issued on Sep. 7, 2021, which is basedon and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Korean Patent ApplicationNo. 10-2019-0019527, filed on Feb. 19, 2019, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1) Field

Certain embodiments described below relate to an electronic device forchanging the magnification of an image using a plurality of cameras, anda method therefor.

2) Description of Related Art

Recently, with the development of digital technology, various types ofelectronic devices, such as a mobile communication terminal, a smartphone, a tablet PC, an electronic notebook, a personal digitalassistant, and a wearable device, have come to be widely used. Theelectronic device may include one or more cameras for capturing an imageand/or a video.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Each camera in the electronic device have include its own field-of-view(FOV). If multiple FOVs for a plurality of cameras at least partiallyoverlap one another, and the supported magnification ranges of eachcameras differ, then during adjustment of magnification, the electronicdevice could switch between the available cameras to achieve the desiredmagnification. However, there may be delays in switching between thecameras due to the time needed for activation of the camera.

The technical subjects pursued in the disclosure are not limited to theabove mentioned technical subjects, and other technical subjects whichare not mentioned may be clearly understood, through the followingdescriptions, by those skilled in the art of the disclosure.

According to certain embodiments, an electronic device may include:display; a plurality of cameras; a memory for storing instructions; andat least one processor operably coupled with the display, the pluralityof cameras, and the memory, the instructions executable by the at leastone processor to cause the electronic device to display, on the display,a preview of a first image acquired using a first camera from among theplurality of cameras, receive a first input while the preview isdisplayed, wherein the first input is received before reception of asecond input adjusting a magnification level of the preview, in responseto receiving the first input, activate a second camera from among theplurality of cameras, receive the second input for adjusting themagnification of the preview when a second image, distinct from thefirst image, is acquired using the activated second camera, and displaythe preview, based on at least a part of the second image and at leastpartially based on receiving the second input.

A method of an electronic device according to certain embodiments mayinclude: displaying, on a display of the electronic device, a preview ofa first image acquired from a first camera among a plurality of camerasof the electronic device, receiving a first input while the preview isdisplayed, wherein the first input is received before reception of asecond input adjusting a magnification level of the preview, in responseto receiving the first input, activating a second camera among theplurality of cameras, receiving the second input adjusting themagnification level of the preview while a second image, distinct fromthe first image, is acquired using the activated second camera, anddisplaying the preview, based on at least a part of the second image andat least partially based on receiving the second input.

An electronic device and a method therefor according to certainembodiments may activate a camera before receiving user input foradjusting a magnification and thus prevent the user from noticing adelay attributable to activation of the camera, so as to provideenhanced usability.

The effects which can be acquired by the disclosure are not limited tothe above described effects, and other effects that have not beenmentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from thefollowing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the disclosure and its advantages,reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numeralsrepresent like parts, and:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a networkenvironment according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a camera module according tocertain embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according tocertain embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments;

FIG. 5A is an example diagram illustrating an operation, performed by anelectronic device, based on a plurality of cameras, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 5B is an example diagram illustrating an operation, performed by anelectronic device, based on a plurality of cameras, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 5C is an example diagram illustrating an operation, performed by anelectronic device, based on a plurality of cameras, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 6A is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon an example of a gesture performed on a display, by an electronicdevice according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6B is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon an example of a gesture performed on a display, by an electronicdevice according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7A is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon another example of a gesture performed on a display, by an electronicdevice according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7B is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon another example of a gesture performed on a display, by an electronicdevice according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8A is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon the movement of an external object included in a preview image, by anelectronic device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8B is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon the movement of an external object included in a preview image, by anelectronic device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of activating at leastone camera among a plurality of cameras by an electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by at leastone of a plurality of cameras included in an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, certain embodiments of this document will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understoodthat technology described in this document is not limited to a specificembodiment and includes various modifications, equivalents, and/oralternatives of an embodiment of this document. The same referencenumbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or likeparts.

In this document, an expression such as “have,” “may have,” “comprise,”or “may comprise” indicates existence of a corresponding characteristic(e.g., constituent element such as a numerical value, function,operation, or component) and does not exclude the presence of anothercharacteristic.

In this document, an expression such as “A or B”, “at least one of Aor/and B”, or “one or more of A or/and B” may include all possiblecombinations of together listed items. For example, “A or B,” “at leastone of A and B,” or “one or more of A or B” may indicate all of (1) acase of including at least one A, (2) a case of including at least oneB, and (3) a case of including both at least one A and at least one B.

An expression such as “first” and “second” used in this document mayindicate various constituent elements regardless of order and/orimportance, is used for distinguishing a constituent element fromanother constituent element, and does not limit correspondingconstituent elements. For example, a first user device and a second userdevice may represent another user device regardless of order and/orimportance. For example, a first constituent element may be referred toas a second constituent element without deviating from the descriptionprovided in this document and, similarly, a second constituent elementmay be referred to as a first constituent element.

When it is described that a constituent element (e.g., a firstconstituent element) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupledwith/to” or is “connected to” another constituent element (e.g., asecond constituent element), it should be understood that theconstituent element may be directly connected to the another constituentelement or may be connected to the another constituent element throughanother constituent element (e.g., a third constituent element).However, when it is described that a constituent element (e.g., a firstconstituent element) is “directly connected” or is “directly accessed”to another constituent element (e.g., a second constituent element), itmay be understood that another constituent element (e.g., a thirdconstituent element) does not exist between the constituent element andthe other constituent element.

An expression “configured to” used in this document may beinterchangeably used with, for example, “suitable for”, “having thecapacity to”, “designed to”, “adapted to”, “made to”, or “capable of”according to a situation. A term “configured to” does not always mean“specifically designed to” in hardware. Alternatively, in any situation,an expression “device configured to” may mean that the device is“capable of” being configured together with another device or component.For example, a “processor configured to perform phrases A, B, and C” maybe a generic-purpose processor (e.g., CPU or application processor) thatexecutes an exclusive processor (e.g., an embedded processor) forperforming a corresponding operation or at least one software programstored at a memory device to perform a corresponding operation.

Terms used in this document are used for describing a specificembodiment and do not limit a range of another embodiment. Unless thecontext otherwise clearly indicates, words used in the singular includethe plural, and the plural includes the singular. Terms used hereincluding a technical or scientific term have the same meaning as thatwhich may be generally understood by a person of common skill in theart. Terms defined in a general dictionary among terms used in thisdocument may be analyzed as the same meaning as or a meaning similar tothat in a context of related technology, and unless it is clearlydefined in this document, the term is not analyzed as having an ideal orexcessively formal meaning. In some cases, a term defined in thisdocument cannot be analyzed to exclude the embodiments of this document.

An electronic device according to certain embodiments of this documentmay include at least one of, for example, a smart phone, tablet personalcomputer (tablet PC), mobile phone, video phone, e-book reader, desktopPC, laptop PC, netbook computer, workstation, server, personal digitalassistant (PDA), portable multimedia player (PMP), moving pictureexperts group layer-3 (MP3) player, mobile medical device, camera, andwearable device. According to certain embodiments, the wearable devicemay include at least one of an accessory type device (e.g., watch, ring,bracelet, ankle bracelet, necklace, glasses, contact lens),head-mounted-device (HMD), textile or clothing integral type device(e.g., electronic clothing), body attachment type device (e.g., skin pador tattoo), and bio implanted type device (e.g., implantable circuit).

In an embodiment, the electronic device may be a home appliance. Thehome appliance may include at least one of, for example, a television,digital video disk (DVD) player, audio device, refrigerator,air-conditioner, cleaner, oven, microwave oven, washing machine, aircleaner, set-top box, home automation control panel, security controlpanel, television box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, AppleTV™, or GoogleTV™), game console (e.g., Xbox™, Play Station™), electronic dictionary,electronic key, camcorder, and electronic frame.

In another embodiment, an electronic device may include at least one ofvarious medical devices (e.g., various portable medical measurementdevices (blood sugar measurement device, heartbeat measurement device,blood pressure measurement device, or body temperature measurementdevice), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) device, magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) device, computed tomography (CT) device, scanning machine,and ultrasonic wave device), navigation device, global navigationsatellite system (GNSS), event data recorder (EDR), flight data recorder(FDR), vehicle infotainment device, ship electronic equipment (e.g.,ship navigation device, gyro compass), avionics, security device,vehicle head unit, industrial or home robot, automatic teller's machine(ATM) of a financial institution, point of sales (POS) of a store, andInternet of things (e.g., bulb, various sensors, electricity or gasmeter, sprinkler, fire alarm, thermostat, street light, toaster,exercise mechanism, hot water tank, heater, boiler).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may include at leastone of a portion of furniture or a building/structure, electronic board,electronic signature receiving device, projector, and variousmeasurement devices (e.g., water supply, electricity, gas, or electricwave measurement device). In certain embodiments, the electronic devicemay be a combination of one or more of the foregoing various devices. Anelectronic device according to an embodiment may be a flexibleelectronic device. Further, the electronic device according to anembodiment of this document is not limited to the foregoing devices andmay include a new electronic device according to technology development.

In this document, the term “user” may indicate a person using anelectronic device or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligenceelectronic device) using an electronic device.

Hereinafter, certain embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the drawings, thesize of the components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience ofdescription. For example, the size and thickness of each component shownin the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description,and thus the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to theillustrated.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to certain embodiments. Referring toFIG. 1 , the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-rangewireless communication network). According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 viathe server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101may include a processor 120, memory 130, an input device 150, a soundoutput device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensormodule 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180,a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module190, a subscriber identification module(SIM) 196, or an antenna module197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 160 orthe camera module 180) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to an embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthererto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g.,LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communicationmodules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip),or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separatefrom each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element implementedusing a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on asubstrate (e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least oneantenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 (e.g., thewireless communication module 192) from the plurality of antennas. Thesignal or the power may then be transmitted or received between thecommunication module 190 and the external electronic device via theselected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, anothercomponent (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other thanthe radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antennamodule 197.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 illustrating the camera module 180according to certain embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2 , the cameramodule 180 may include a lens assembly 210, a flash 220, an image sensor230, an image stabilizer 240, memory 250 (e.g., buffer memory), or animage signal processor 260. The lens assembly 210 may collect lightemitted or reflected from an object whose image is to be taken. The lensassembly 210 may include one or more lenses. According to an embodiment,the camera module 180 may include a plurality of lens assemblies 210. Insuch a case, the camera module 180 may form, for example, a dual camera,a 360-degree camera, or a spherical camera. Some of the plurality oflens assemblies 210 may have the same lens attribute (e.g., view angle,focal length, auto-focusing, f number, or optical zoom), or at least onelens assembly may have one or more lens attributes different from thoseof another lens assembly. The lens assembly 210 may include, forexample, a wide-angle lens or a telephoto lens.

The flash 220 may emit light that is used to reinforce light reflectedfrom an object. According to an embodiment, the flash 220 may includeone or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) (e.g., a red-green-blue (RGB)LED, a white LED, an infrared (IR) LED, or an ultraviolet (UV) LED) or axenon lamp. The image sensor 230 may obtain an image corresponding to anobject by converting light emitted or reflected from the object andtransmitted via the lens assembly 210 into an electrical signal.According to an embodiment, the image sensor 230 may include oneselected from image sensors having different attributes, such as a RGBsensor, a black-and-white (BW) sensor, an IR sensor, or a UV sensor, aplurality of image sensors having the same attribute, or a plurality ofimage sensors having different attributes. Each image sensor included inthe image sensor 230 may be implemented using, for example, a chargedcoupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) sensor.

The image stabilizer 240 may move the image sensor 230 or at least onelens included in the lens assembly 210 in a particular direction, orcontrol an operational attribute (e.g., adjust the read-out timing) ofthe image sensor 230 in response to the movement of the camera module180 or the electronic device 101 including the camera module 180. Thisallows compensating for at least part of a negative effect (e.g., imageblurring) by the movement on an image being captured. According to anembodiment, the image stabilizer 240 may sense such a movement by thecamera module 180 or the electronic device 101 using a gyro sensor (notshown) or an acceleration sensor (not shown) disposed inside or outsidethe camera module 180. According to an embodiment, the image stabilizer240 may be implemented, for example, as an optical image stabilizer.

The memory 250 may store, at least temporarily, at least part of animage obtained via the image sensor 230 for a subsequent imageprocessing task. For example, if image capturing is delayed due toshutter lag or multiple images are quickly captured, a raw imageobtained (e.g., a Bayer-patterned image, a high-resolution image) may bestored in the memory 250, and its corresponding copy image (e.g., alow-resolution image) may be previewed via the display device 160.Thereafter, if a specified condition is met (e.g., by a user's input orsystem command), at least part of the raw image stored in the memory 250may be obtained and processed, for example, by the image signalprocessor 260. According to an embodiment, the memory 250 may beconfigured as at least part of the memory 130 or as a separate memorythat is operated independently from the memory 130.

The image signal processor 260 may perform one or more image processingwith respect to an image obtained via the image sensor 230 or an imagestored in the memory 250. The one or more image processing may include,for example, depth map generation, three-dimensional (3D) modeling,panorama generation, feature point extraction, image synthesizing, orimage compensation (e.g., noise reduction, resolution adjustment,brightness adjustment, blurring, sharpening, or softening). Additionallyor alternatively, the image signal processor 260 may perform control(e.g., exposure time control or read-out timing control) with respect toat least one (e.g., the image sensor 230) of the components included inthe camera module 180. An image processed by the image signal processor260 may be stored back in the memory 250 for further processing, or maybe provided to an external component (e.g., the memory 130, the displaydevice 160, the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or theserver 108) outside the camera module 180. According to an embodiment,the image signal processor 260 may be configured as at least part of theprocessor 120, or as a separate processor that is operated independentlyfrom the processor 120. If the image signal processor 260 is configuredas a separate processor from the processor 120, at least one imageprocessed by the image signal processor 260 may be displayed, by theprocessor 120, via the display device 160 as it is or after beingfurther processed.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include aplurality of camera modules 180 having different attributes orfunctions. In such a case, at least one of the plurality of cameramodules 180 may form, for example, a wide-angle camera and at leastanother of the plurality of camera modules 180 may form a telephotocamera. Similarly, at least one of the plurality of camera modules 180may form, for example, a front camera and at least another of theplurality of camera modules 180 may form a rear camera.

The electronic device according to certain embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations ofthe items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. Asused herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” maybe used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another,and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g.,wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Certain embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor(e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. The term“non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is a tangibledevice, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave),but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to certain embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to certain embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to certain embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to certain embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to certain embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101according to certain embodiments. The electronic device 101 of FIG. 3may correspond to the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 . The electronicdevice 101 may be a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), atablet personal computer (PC) such as a smart pad, a desktop PC, or alaptop PC. According to certain embodiments, the electronic device 101may be an embedded PC that may be included as part of another electronicdevice, or may be a wearable device such as a smart watch.

The electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, aninput device 150, a display device 160, and a plurality of cameras.Referring to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 101 may include a firstcamera 310-1 and a second camera 310-2. The number of cameras includedin the electronic device 101 is not limited to the example of FIG. 3 .For example, the electronic device 101 may include three or morecameras. A plurality of cameras included in the processor 120, thememory 130, the input device 150, the display device 160, and theelectronic device 101 may be operably and/or electrically coupled witheach other via, for example, an electrical interface such as acommunication bus.

The processor 120 may execute one or more instructions stored in thememory 130. The processor 120 may include a circuit for processing data,for example, at least one of an integrated circuit (IC), an arithmeticlogic unit (ALU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and largescale integration (LSI). The number of processors 120 is not limited tothe example of FIG. 3 . For example, the electronic device 101 mayinclude a plurality of processors 120. The memory 130 may store datarelated to the electronic device 101. The memory 130 includes a volatilememory, such as a random access memory (RAM) including a static randomaccess memory (SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), or the like, or may includea nonvolatile memory, such as a flash memory, an embedded multi-mediacard (eMMC), a solid state drive (SSD) as well as a read only memory(ROM), a magneto resistive RAM (MRAM), a spin-transfer torque MRAM(STT-MRAM), a phase-change RAM (PRAM), a resistive RAM (RRAM), aferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), or the like.

The memory 130 may store instructions related to an application andinstructions related to an operating system (OS). The operating systemis system software executed by the processor 120. The processor 120 maymanage hardware components included in the electronic device 101 byexecuting the operating system. The operating system may provide anapplication programming interface (API) as an application, which is theremaining software except for system software.

One or more applications, which are a set of a plurality ofapplications, may be installed in the memory 130. If the application isinstalled in the memory 130, the application is stored in a formatexecutable by the processor 120 connected to the memory 130. Forexample, a set of instructions, such as a camera application, forcontrolling the first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2included in the electronic device 101, may be installed in the memory130. The processor 120 may execute the set of instructions to controlthe first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2.

The display device 160 may output information to a user, using at leastone of an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display(LCD), and a light emitting diode (LED), in a visible form. In order tomore intuitively control a user interface (UI) output through thedisplay device 160, the electronic device 101 may include touch screenpanels (TSPs) (not shown) disposed in a display area in which the UI isvisualized on the display device 160. The touch screen panels may detectthe location of an external object (e.g., a user's finger and a stylus),which touches the display device 160 or is hovering over the displaydevice 160 by using at least one of a resistive film, capacitivecomponents, a surface acoustic wave, and infrared rays.

In an embodiment, the processor 120 may control the first camera 310-1and/or the second camera 310-2 according to the user's gesture based onthe external object. In order for the user to more intuitively controlthe first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2, the processor 120may display, in the display device 160, a preview image that is based onat least a part of an image acquired from the first camera 310-1 and/orthe second camera 310-2. For example, the processor 120 may display thepreview image in the display device 160, based on one of the firstcamera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2. The number of cameras used todisplay the preview image may differ depending on the embodiment. Forexample, the processor 120 may display the preview image in the displaydevice 160, based on a plurality of images simultaneously acquired fromat least two cameras among the plurality of cameras. Based on thepreview image and/or movement of the external object in a user interface(UI) in the display including the preview image, the processor 120 maycontrol the first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2.

In an embodiment, the processor 120 may control the first camera 310-1and/or the second camera 310-2 based on a command and a user's movementidentified through the input device 150. For example, based on theuser's voice signal, which is received through a microphone (not shown)included in the input device 150, the processor 120 may control thefirst camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2. The processor 120according to an embodiment may control the first camera 310-1 and/or thesecond camera 310-2 based on the movement of an external object capturedby the first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2. The user'sinput, which is detected using the input device 150, the display device160, and/or at least one camera by the processor 120, will be describedin detail with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6B, FIGS. 7A to 7B, and FIGS. 8Ato 8B.

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may acquirean image file or a video file by photographing a subject existing in anexternal space using the first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera310-2. Each of the first camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 may bebased on the camera module 180 of FIG. 2 or may include at least onehardware component of the camera module 180. For example, each of thefirst camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 may include the lensassembly 210, the image sensor 230, the image stabilizer 240, the memory250, and/or the image signal processor (ISP) 260, shown in FIG. 2 .

The image sensor included in each of the first camera 310-1 and thesecond camera 310-2 may include pixels arranged in two dimensions. Theimage sensor may convert an image formed through a lens assembly into anelectrical signal in units of pixels based on a photoelectric effect.Each of the pixels may include a plurality of photo diodes (PDs) forconverting an optical signal into an electrical signal based on thephotoelectric effect.

Each of the first camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 may bedisposed on at least one of a front surface of the housing of theelectronic device 101 (e.g., a surface of a housing in which the displaydevice 160 is viewed) or a rear surface thereof (e.g., the other surfaceopposite to the front surface of the housing). In an embodiment, if boththe first camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 are disposed at therear surface of the housing, both the first camera 310-1 and the secondcamera 310-2 may output an image based on external light directed to therear surface.

The images output by the first camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2may differ according to a field of view, a focal length, and/or amagnification of each of the first camera 310-1 and the second camera310-2. The field of view may refer to a camera angle at which an imageis captured. The focal length may refer to a distance between a centerpoint and a focal point of a lens (e.g., the lens assembly 210 of FIG. 2) included in the camera. A telephoto lens may be a lens having arelatively long focal length, and a wide-angle lens may be a lens havinga relatively short focal length. A standard lens may be a lens having afocal length shorter than the focal length of the telephoto lens andexceeding the focal length of the wide-angle lens. The magnification isa value indicating a degree to which the subject is enlarged in theimage and captured, and may be enlarged as the focal length is longer.For example, the telephoto lens may support larger magnifications thanthe wide-angle lens. The magnification range may be the range ofmagnifications supported by the camera. In an embodiment, the firstcamera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 included in the electronicdevice 101 include single focus lenses having different respectivemagnifications, or may include zoom lenses having magnificationschanging within a designated magnification range.

If a field of view, a focal length, and/or a magnification range aredifferent for each of the first camera 310-1 and the second camera310-2, for example, if the first camera 310-1 and the second camera310-2 include image sensors and/or lens assemblies having differentshapes and/or specifications, the first camera 310-1 and the secondcamera 310-2, which capture the same subject, may output differentimages. For example, if a field of view of the first camera 310-1 iswider than a field of view of the second camera 310-2, the first camera310-1 may output an image including external light within a wide fieldof view including the subject, and the second camera 310-2 may output animage including external light in a relatively narrow field of viewincluding the subject.

A field of view, a focal length, and/or a magnification range may bedependent on each other. For example, if a field of view of the firstcamera 310-1 is wider than a field of view of the second camera 310-2,the maximum value of a magnification range and/or a focal length of thefirst camera 310-1 may be smaller than the maximum value of the same ofthe second camera 310-2. In this case, the first camera 310-1 may beused to photograph a subject located relatively close to the electronicdevice 101, and the second camera 310-2 may be used to photograph asubject located relatively distant from the electronic device 101.Alternatively, the first camera 310-1 may be used to photograph theentire subject, and the second camera 310-2 may be used to enlarge andphotograph a part of the subject. In this case, the first camera 310-1may include a wide-angle lens, and the second camera 310-2 may include atelephoto lens. The electronic device 101 according to certainembodiments may photograph a subject by controlling at least one of thefirst camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 based on user input.

After the electronic device 101 is turned on, the first camera 310-1and/or the second camera 310-2 may not be consistently maintained in anactivated state. The activated state is a state after the initializationof a camera is completed, and may refer to a state in which the camerais capable of photographing a subject based on a control signal (e.g., acontrol signal received from the processor 120). In an embodiment, anactivated state may refer to a state in which a camera receives power,which is normal power, reference power, or a designated power (voltageor current) or higher, from a battery (e.g., the battery 189 of FIG. 1 )via a PMIC. In an embodiment, the activated state may refer to a statein which a camera stores an image, acquired from an image sensor, in adesignated area of the memory 130, such as a buffer. For example, theactivated state may include a stream ON state in which a stream ofimages, which is acquired from the image sensor, is stored in thebuffer. In an embodiment, the processor 120 may display, as a previewimage, at least a portion of the stream of images in the display device160, so as to display, substantially in real time, to a user an imagecurrently being photographed by the camera.

According to certain embodiments, after booting is completed, states ofthe first camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2 may be switchedbetween the activated state and a sleep state. The sleep state may referto a state in which initialization is not required in order to switch astate of a camera to the activated state but normal power needs to beobtained from the PMIC. In an embodiment, the sleep state may refer to astate in which the camera receives power lower than reference power fromthe PMIC. In an embodiment, the sleep state may refer to a state inwhich the camera does not store an image, which is acquired from theimage sensor, in a buffer. In an embodiment, the sleep state may includeone or more of an inactive state, an idle state, a standby state, astream OFF state, or a low-power state. In an embodiment, the sleepstate may include a power-off state in which power is not received.

In an embodiment, in order to reduce power consumption of the firstcamera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2, the processor 120 may switchthe states of the first camera 310-1 and/or the second camera 310-2between an activated state and a sleep state. The processor 120 mayswitch the states of the first camera 310-1 and the second camera 310-2between the activated state and the sleep state, based on user input forcapturing a subject in a state of enlarging and/or reducing the same.

For example, in a state where a subject is captured based on the firstcamera 310-1, having a wider field of view than the second camera 310-2,the processor 120 may switch the camera that captures a subject from thefirst camera 310-1 to the second camera 310-2 based on reception of userinput for increasing magnification. In order to switch the cameracapturing the subject from the first camera 310-1 to the second camera310-2, the processor 120 may switch the state of the second camera 310-2from the sleep state to the activated state. In an embodiment, a timepoint at which the state of the second camera 310-2 is switched from thesleep state to the activated state may be determined based on the userinput for increasing the magnification. For example, the state of thesecond camera 310-2 may be switched by the processor 120 so that theuser may not recognize a delay occurring in the case where the state ofthe second camera 310-2 is switched. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG.4 , an operation of switching the states of the first camera 310-1and/or the second camera 310 by the electronic device 101 and/or theprocessor 120 according to certain embodiments will be described indetail.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 illustrating an operation of an electronicdevice according to certain embodiments. The electronic device of FIG. 4may correspond to the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1 and 3 . Forexample, the operation of FIG. 4 may be performed by the electronicdevice 101 and/or the processor 120 of FIG. 3 . For example, theoperation of FIG. 4 may be performed in response to a user's request toexecute an application (e.g., a camera application) related to a cameraincluded in the electronic device, among a plurality of applicationsinstalled in the electronic device.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 410, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may display a preview image, which may be atleast partially based on an image acquired from a first camera among aplurality of cameras. As described with reference to FIG. 3 , theelectronic device may include a plurality of cameras, and the firstcamera may correspond to any one (for example, the first camera 310-1 orthe second camera 310-2 of FIG. 3 ) of the plurality of cameras. Thepreview image is based on the image output from the image sensor of thefirst camera, and may have the same resolution as that of the outputimage, or may have a smaller resolution than that of the output image.

In an embodiment, the first camera may correspond to a camera designatedby an application running in an electronic device among a plurality ofcameras. For example, the first camera may correspond to a camera thatis designated to be activated first according to the configuration ofthe application. According to an embodiment, the electronic device mayturn on the first camera among a plurality of cameras, or may switch thestate of the first camera to an activated state. For example, theelectronic device may transmit, to the first camera having been switchedinto the activated state, a command (for example, direct memory access(DMA) ON) which includes an address of a buffer in a memory (e.g., thememory 130 of FIGS. 1 and/or 3 ) designated to store an image andutilizes an image acquired by the first camera to be stored in thebuffer. The buffer may be a part of a memory in which a plurality ofimages (e.g., images corresponding to eight frames continuouslyphotographed by the first camera) are stored based on a queue method.

In response to reception of the command, the image, acquired from theimage sensor of the first camera, may be stored in at least a part ofthe memory corresponding to the address. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device may display at least a part of the image, stored inthe buffer, as a preview image in the display. For example, theelectronic device may display the image without change or may display acompressed image having a resolution lower than the actual resolution ofthe image. In an embodiment, the electronic device may display, togetherwith the preview image, one or more visual elements (e.g., buttons,icons, text boxes, progress bars) for controlling at least one of theplurality of cameras. A UI is displayed in a display by an electronicdevice and includes the preview image and the one or more visualelements, and an example of the UI will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 5A to 5C.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 420, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may receive a first input from a user of theelectronic device. In an embodiment, in the state where the previewimage is displayed in a display based on operation 410, the electronicdevice may receive a first designated input from the user. In anembodiment, the first input may refer to an input received before asecond input for adjustment of the magnification of the preview image.In an embodiment, the first input may be an input defined to be receivedbefore the second input. For example, the first input may correspond toa user's action that needs to be received prior to receiving the secondinput.

For example, if the second input is a touch gesture, such as apinch-to-zoom performed on the display, the first input may include theuser's action of touching at least two fingers on the display in orderto perform the pinch-to-zoom gesture. For example, if the second inputis the user's voice command (e.g., “zoom in, please” or “zoom out,please”) for adjustment of the magnification, the first input mayinclude a wake-up command (e.g., “Hey Bixby”) that the user speaks priorto the voice command in order to notify the electronic device of userutterance of the voice command. For example, if the second input is agesture of pressing a physical button to adjust the magnification, thefirst input may include a gesture of pushing the physical button byusing a pressure (e.g., a pressure below a threshold pressure at whichthe physical button is pressed) designated on the physical button. Forexample, if the second input is a touch gesture, which drags a visualelement, such as a progress bar (e.g., a zoom bar) displayed within thedisplay, in order to adjust the magnification, the first input mayinclude a user's gesture which is performed to display the visualelement. For example, if the progress bar is displayed in a display, thefirst input may include a gesture of touching a point in the progressbar to drag the point. Various examples of the first input and thesecond input, performed by the user, will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 6A to 6B, 7A to 7B, and/or 8A to 8B.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 430, the electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may activate at least one second camera distinctfrom the first camera. In an embodiment, in response to reception of thefirst input, the electronic device may activate at least one secondcamera that is distinct from the first camera operating to display thepreview image. The number of the at least one second camera, activatedamong the plurality of cameras, may be at least partially based on thefirst input and/or the magnification and/or magnification range of thefirst camera. For example, the electronic device may activate at leastone second camera supporting a magnification that is not included in themagnification range of the first camera, operating to display thepreview image, among the plurality of cameras. For example, theelectronic device may activate at least one second camera having asingle focus lens, which has a magnification distinct from that of asingle focus lens included in the first camera, among the plurality ofcameras.

Referring to FIG. 3 , if the electronic device 101 receives the firstinput in a state where the electronic device 101 has activated the firstcamera 310-1, the electronic device 101 may activate the second camera310-2, distinct from the first camera 310-1. Similarly, if theelectronic device 101 receives the first input in a state where thesecond camera 310-2 is activated, the electronic device 101 may activatethe first camera 310-1 distinct from the second camera 310-2.

Since, in response to reception of the first input, the electronicdevice activates at least one second camera, the at least one secondcamera may be switched from a power-off state and/or a sleep state to anactivate state prior to reception of the second input, which isperformed to adjust a magnification. In an embodiment, the electronicdevice may transmit, to at least one second camera, a command (forexample, direct memory access (DMA) ON) which includes an address of abuffer in a memory (e.g., the memory 130 of FIGS. 1 and/or 3 )designated to store an image and utilize an image acquired by the atleast one second camera to be stored in the buffer. In an embodiment,the buffer may be distinct from a buffer included in the command storedin the first camera in order to activate the first camera. The buffermay be a part of a memory in which a plurality of images (e.g., imagescorresponding to eight frames continuously photographed by the secondcamera) are stored based on a queue method.

In the state where the at least one second camera is activated based onoperation 430, the processor of the electronic device may receive aplurality of images acquired from the first camera and the at least onesecond camera, respectively. For example, an image acquired from thefirst camera may be stored in a first buffer designated in the memory,and at least one image acquired from the at least one second camera maybe stored in a second buffer designated in the memory. Even afteractivating the at least one second camera based on operation 430, theelectronic device may maintain, based on operation 410, displaying of apreview image, which is based on at least a part of the image acquiredfrom the first camera.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 440, the electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may receive a second input adjusting amagnification level of the preview image. At least one second camera,which is distinct from the first camera used to display the previewimage and has a magnification that is not supported by the first camera,may be activated prior to reception of the second input based onoperation 430. For example, the second input may include a pinch-to-zoomgesture for enlarging or reducing the preview image. For example, thesecond input may include a user's touch gesture, which is performed on avisual element, such a zoom bar, for adjusting a magnification. Forexample, the second input may include a user's voice command foradjusting the magnification. In response to reception of the secondinput, the electronic device may adjust the magnification of the previewimage displayed in the display, based on the second input. Theadjustment of the magnification of the preview image may be performed atleast partially based on digital zoom. The adjustment of themagnification may be performed by controlling the first camera and/orthe second camera, which correspond to the preview image, according to asecond input.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 450, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may determine whether the adjusted magnificationlevel (e.g., as set by the second input) is included in a magnificationrange of the second camera. The magnification range may be based on atleast one of a magnification range supported by the second camera or amagnification range supported by the first camera. According to anembodiment, the electronic device may determine whether themagnification adjusted by the second input falls within a magnificationrange that is not supported by the first camera. For example, theelectronic device may determine whether the magnification adjusted bythe second input is included within a magnification range, which issupported by the at least one second camera, and is not included in amagnification range supported by the first camera.

If the adjusted magnification level is not included within themagnification range associated with the second camera (indicated by “No”in reference numeral 450), then in operation 470, the electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments may display a preview image based on atleast a part of an image acquired from the first camera (e.g., captureand display using the first camera is maintained). For example, in astate where the magnification adjusted by the second input is includedwithin a magnification range supported by the first camera, theelectronic device may maintain display of the preview image, based on atleast a part of an image acquired from the first camera. In anembodiment, the electronic device may control the first camera based onthe second input to display the preview image, which is based on amagnification adjusted according to the second input.

If the adjusted magnification level is included within a magnificationrange associated with the second camera (i.e., indicated by “Yes” inreference numeral 450), then in operation 460, the electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments may display a preview image based on atleast a part of another image acquired from the second camera. That is,image-capture for generating the preview image is changed from the firstcamera to the second camera. For example, if the magnification adjustedby the second input is not included in a magnification range supportedby the first camera, the electronic device may change the camera that isused to display a preview image from the first camera to the secondcamera. In a state where the preview image is displayed based on atleast a part of another image acquired from the second camera, theelectronic device may terminate the display of the preview image, basedon at least a part of the image acquired from the first camera.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may switch, based on operation460, the camera used to display the preview image from the first cameraused in operation 410 to the at least one second camera activated basedon operation 430. Since the at least one second camera is activatedbefore magnification of the preview image is adjusted by the secondinput, the electronic device may seamlessly perform switching betweenthe first camera and the second camera according to adjustment of amagnification, in operation 460.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 480, the electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may determine whether the second input isterminated by the user. For example, if the second input is a touchgesture, such as a pinch-to-zoom performed on a display, the electronicdevice may identify ceasing of the second input in response to detectionthat at least two fingers performing the touch gesture have been liftedfrom the display. For example, if the second input is a touch gesture ofdragging a visual element as a zoom bar, the electronic deviceidentifies ceasing of the second input in response to detection that thefingers performing the touch gesture are lifted from the display. Forexample, if the second input is a touch gesture of dragging a visualelement, such as a zoom bar, and the movement at the point at which thedisplay is dragged is terminated for a designated time or more, theelectronic device may determine that the second input is terminated. Forexample, if the second input is a user's voice command for adjusting themagnification, and an additional voice command is not made for apredetermined time after the voice command is uttered, the electronicdevice may identify ceasing of the second input.

If the second input is not terminated by a user (indicated by “No” inreference numeral 480), an electronic device according to certainembodiments may, based on at least one of operations 450, 460, 470 ofFIG. 4 , continuously perform an operation of adjusting themagnification of the preview image based on the second input and/orswitching the camera by adjusting the magnification. For example, afterthe electronic device switches the camera used to display the previewimage from the first camera to the second camera based on operation 460,if it is determined that the magnification adjusted by the second inputis not included within a magnification range associated with the secondcamera (e.g., if a magnification enters a magnification range associatedwith the first camera and is out of a magnification range associatedwith the second camera), then the electronic device may switch thecamera used to display the preview image from the second camera back tothe first camera, based on operation 470.

If the second input is terminated by a user (indicated by “Yes” inreference numeral 480), then in operation 490, an electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments may deactivate the remaining cameras,except for the camera presently being used to capture the preview image.For example, if the electronic device displays the preview image basedon an image acquired from the second camera based on operation 460, theelectronic device may deactivate the first camera based on operation490. For example, if the electronic device displays the preview imagebased on an image acquired from the first camera based on the operation470, the electronic device may deactivate the at least one secondcamera, which is activated in operation 430, based on operation 490.

In an embodiment, deactivation of the remaining cameras except for acamera associated with the preview image may be performed based on acommand transmitted by the processor of the electronic device to theremaining cameras, and/or a control signal including the command. Forexample, the command may include a command of switching the state of thecamera to a sleep state. For example, the command may include a command(e.g., DMA OFF) of ceasing storing of the image, acquired by the camera,in a buffer in a memory.

Referring to FIG. 4 , another camera (e.g., at least one second camera),which is distinct from the camera (e.g., a first camera) activated todisplay a preview image, may be activated by a first input that needs tobe performed before the second input for adjustment of magnification,and may be deactivated by the ceasing of the second input. In anembodiment, the number of activated cameras among the plurality ofcameras included in the electronic device may be two or more in a timeinterval from the time point at which the first input is received to thetime point at which the second input is terminated. Further, the numberof activated cameras among the plurality of cameras included in theelectronic device may be one in remaining time points other than thetime interval.

FIG. 5A is an example diagram illustrating an operation, performed by anelectronic device 101, based on a plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and310-3 according to certain embodiments, FIG. 5B is an example diagramillustrating an operation, performed by an electronic device 101, basedon a plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3 according to certainembodiments, and FIG. 5C is an example diagram illustrating anoperation, performed by an electronic device 101, based on a pluralityof cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3 according to certain embodiments. Theelectronic device 101 and/or hardware components in the electronicdevice 101 of FIGS. 5A to 5C may correspond to the electronic device 101and/or hardware components in the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1 to 3. For example, the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 5A to 5C may performat least one of operations of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 5A, a plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3 aredisposed on the rear surface of a housing of the electronic device 101.The number of cameras included in the electronic device 101 is notlimited to those shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C. For example, two to fourcameras may be disposed on the rear surface of the electronic device101, and at least one camera may be disposed on the front surfacethereof.

A different field of view and/or a focal length may be possessed by eachof the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3. Referring to FIG.5C, respective fields of view of the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2,and 310-3 are shown. For example, the first camera 310-1 may have thewidest field of view and the shortest focal length, based on thewide-angle lens, among the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3.For example, the second camera 310-2 may have a narrower field of viewthan the first camera 310-1 and a longer focal length than the firstcamera 310-1, based on a standard lens. For example, the third camera310-3 may have the narrowest field of view and the longest focal length,based on the telephoto lens, among the plurality of cameras 310-1,310-2, and 310-3.

If the user generates a request for execution of a camera application bythe electronic device 101, the electronic device 101 according to anembodiment may activate one of the plurality of cameras 310-1 310-2, and310-3 (e.g., based on operation 410 of FIG. 4 ). The electronic device101 may display a preview image, which is based on at least a part of animage acquired from the activated camera. According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may display the preview image in a UI forcontrolling at least one of the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and310-3. After displaying the UI, the electronic device 101 may performthe remaining operations after operation 410 of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 5B, an example, in which a UI is displayed in adisplay 510 by the electronic device 101 according to an embodiment, isillustrated. The display 510 may be related to, for example, the displaydevice 160 of FIG. 3 . The display 510 may be exposed to the outsidethrough the front surface opposite the rear surface, on which theplurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3 are disposed, in theelectronic device 101. The electronic device 101 according to anembodiment may display, within at least a portion of the display 510, apreview image 520 based on at least a part of an image acquired from acamera, which is in an activated state, among the plurality of cameras310-1, 310-2, and 310-3.

The electronic device 101 according to an embodiment may display, in atleast a portion of the display 510, a visual element 530 (e.g., ashutter-shaped icon) that is selectable for capturing an image using atleast one of the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3 (e.g., acamera, which is in an activated state, used to display the previewimage 520). The visual element 530 may be superimposed on at least aportion of the display 510 on which the preview image 520 is displayed,and may be displayed. In response to user input selecting the visualelement 530 (e.g., touching, in the case of a touch-enabled display),the electronic device 101 may cause a camera presently activated togenerate the preview image 520 (e.g., from among the plurality ofcameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3) to capture at least one image.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example situation in which the electronic device101 displays a preview image 520 including a plurality of subjects (forexample, a triangular prism, a rectangular prism, and a pentagonalprism), which are distally located from the electronic device 101 bydifferent respective distances. If a field of view and/or a focal lengthare different for each of the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and310-3, the number of subjects included in the preview image 520 (or infocus in the preview image 520) may differ according to which cameraamong the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, or 310-3 has been activatedto display the preview image 520.

If the electronic device 101 displays the preview image 520 based on atleast a part of an image acquired from the first camera 310-1, since thefirst camera 310-1 has the widest angle, the number of subjectsdisplayed in the image 520 may be the greatest. Referring to FIG. 5B, ifthe electronic device 101 displays the preview image 520 using the firstcamera 310-1, the preview image 520 displayed by the electronic device101 may include all of a part 540-1 of an image corresponding to atriangular prism, a part 540-2 of an image corresponding to arectangular prism, and a part 540-3 of an image corresponding to apentagonal prism.

If the camera used to display the preview image 520 is gradually changedfrom the first camera 310-1 to the third camera 310-3, the number ofsubjects displayed in the preview image 520 may be gradually decreased.For example, if the camera used to display the preview image 520 isgradually changed from the first camera 310-1 to the third camera 310-3,the part 540-3 of the image corresponding to the pentagonal prism, whichis closest to the center of the preview image 520, is graduallyenlarged, and the parts 540-1 and 540-2 of images corresponding totriangular and rectangular prisms may move away from the center of thepreview image 520 or disappear.

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments mayselectively activate the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3according to a magnification, thereby preventing image quality frombeing degraded due to digital zoom. For example, if a user increases themagnification of the preview image 520 by a designated threshold ormore, the electronic device 101 may activate the third camera 310-3,which is based on a telephoto lens supporting the largest magnification,among the plurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3. In a state wherethe preview image 520 is displayed based on the third camera 310-3, ifthe user reduces the magnification of the preview image 520, theelectronic device 101 may activate the first camera 310-1, which isbased on a wide-angle lens supporting the smallest magnification, and/orthe second camera 310-2, which is based on a standard lens, among theplurality of cameras 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3.

According to certain embodiments, the time point at which the electronicdevice 101 activates at least one of the plurality of cameras 310-1,310-2, and 310-3 may be a time point before reception of input formagnification adjustment. In this case, the electronic device 101 maycontinuously perform camera switching corresponding to the preview image520, based on the magnification adjusted by the user. As the cameraswitching is continuously performed, a delay due to the camera switchingcorresponding to the preview image 520 may be reduced.

FIG. 6A is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras, basedon an example of a gesture performed on a display 510, by an electronicdevice 101 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 6B is an example diagramillustrating an operation of adjusting the magnification of at least onecamera among a plurality of cameras, based on an example of a gestureperformed on a display 510, by an electronic device 101 according to anembodiment. The electronic device 101 of FIGS. 6A to 6B may correspondto the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1, 3, 5A, and 5B. For example, theelectronic device 101 of FIGS. 6A to 6B may perform at least one ofoperations of FIG. 4 .

The electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments may adjustthe magnification of the preview image 520 based on a drag gesturedetected on the display 510. The electronic device 101 may activate theremaining cameras except for the camera corresponding to the previewimage 520 from among the plurality of cameras of the electronic device101, in response to reception of a first input, which is defined asneeding to be received before the drag gesture is received. The secondinput is an input after the first input is performed, and may includethe drag gesture.

The electronic device 101 according to an embodiment may change themagnification of the preview image 520 based on a drag gesture (e.g., apinch-to-zoom gesture), which is based on at least two fingers touchingthe display 510. Referring to FIG. 6A, an example of two finger pointsor contact locations 610 and 620 touching the display 510 is shown. Thecontacts 610 and 620 (e.g., the points and contact locations for thetouch input) may be included in at least a portion of the display 510 inwhich the preview image 520 is displayed. The time point at which theelectronic device 101 activates at least one of the remaining camerasexcept for the camera associated with the preview image 520, among theplurality of cameras, may correspond to the time point at which at leasttwo external objects touching the display 510, such as two fingerstouching the contacts 610 and 620, are detected. In this case, the firstinput is another touch gesture, defined as needing to be received beforea drag gesture included in the second input is performed, and mayinclude a touch gesture for substantially simultaneously touching atleast two fingers on the display 510 in order to perform the draggesture included in the second input.

After the user touches the contacts 610 and 620 on the display 510, theuser may drag at least one of fingers touching the contacts 610 and 620.Referring to FIG. 6B, the user may drag a first finger touching thepoint 610 from the point 610 to the point 615. While dragging the firstfinger, the user may drag a second finger touching the point 620 fromthe point 620 to point 625. In this case, the second input may include adrag gesture that adjusts the distance between the plurality of fingerstouching the display 510 without lifting the plurality of fingers fromthe display 510 (e.g., a pinch-out gesture).

In response to identifying that the distance between the fingerstouching the display 510 has changed, the electronic device 101 maychange the magnification of the preview image 520 according to thechanged distance between the fingers. For example, if the distancebetween fingers touching the display 510 is gradually reduced (e.g., apinch-in gesture requesting a zoom-out function), the electronic device101 may gradually reduce the magnification of the preview image 520.

For example, if the distance between the fingers gradually increases(e.g., a pinch-out gesture requesting a zoom-in function) as illustratedin FIG. 6B, the electronic device 101 may gradually increase themagnification of the preview image 520. The increase in themagnification of the preview image 520 is performed by controlling thecamera used to display the preview image 520, based on the distance, orby digitally enlarging the preview image 520 based on the image acquiredfrom the camera.

If the magnification is increased beyond a designated threshold, theelectronic device 101 may switch the camera used to display the previewimage 520, for example, based on operations 450 and 460 of FIG. 4 . Forexample, in a state in which the electronic device 101 displays thepreview image 520 based on the first camera including the wide-anglelens, if a user performs a pinch-to- zoom gesture, illustrated in FIGS.6A to 6B, in order to increase a magnification, the electronic device101 may switch the camera used to display the preview image 520 from thefirst camera to a second camera including a standard lens or to a thirdcamera including a telephoto lens. The threshold of magnification usedfor switching the plurality of cameras may be configured based on amagnification and/or a focal length supported by each of the pluralityof cameras included in the electronic device 101.

If the user performs the pinch-to-zoom gesture shown in FIG. 6B and thenfingers touching the contacts 615 and 625 are lifted from the display510, the electronic device 101 may deactivate the remaining camerasexcept for a camera corresponding to the preview image 520 from among aplurality of activated cameras. For example, after the camera, used todisplay the preview image 520, has been switched from the first camerato the third camera by a second input, the electronic device 101 maydeactivate the remaining cameras except for the third camera in responseto identifying that the external objects touching the contacts 615 and625 are lifted from the display 510. Deactivation of at least one camerafrom among the plurality of cameras by the electronic device 101 may beperformed based on, for example, operations 480 and 490 of FIG. 4 .

Since, in response to the first input, which is received before thesecond input for magnification adjustment, the electronic device 101according to certain embodiments activates the remaining cameras exceptfor the camera corresponding to the preview image 520, a delay accordingto camera activation may not occur in the case where the camera fordisplaying the preview image 520 is switched by the second input. Forexample, the delay occurring in the case where the camera for displayingthe preview image 520 is switched can be reduced. The electronic device101 according to an embodiment may switch a camera based on the firstinput and the second input, which have different forms from the firstinput and the second input, shown in FIGS. 6A to 6B.

FIG. 7A is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras basedon another example of a gesture performed on a display 510 by anelectronic device 101 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 7B is anexample diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting the magnificationof at least one camera among a plurality of cameras based on anotherexample of a gesture performed on a display 510 by an electronic device101 according to an embodiment. The electronic device 101 of FIGS. 7A to7B may correspond to the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1, 3, 5A, 5B,6A, and 6B. For example, the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 7A to 7B mayperform at least one of operations of FIG. 4 .

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may adjust themagnification of the preview image 520 based on a user's touch gestureand/or drag gesture performed along a designated axis. The electronicdevice 101 may display the axis in the display 510 using a visualelement such as a progress bar. The second input for magnificationadjustment may include a user's touch gesture and/or drag gestureperformed in the designated axis.

The first input, which is performed before the second input, may includegestures and/or actions that need to be received before the secondinput. Referring to FIG. 7A, after the camera application is executedand before receiving any input from the user, the electronic device 101may not display any visual element used for magnification adjustment. Inthis case, the first input may include a user's designated action (e.g.,a gesture of pressing a designated physical button, a touch gestureperformed on the display 510, and/or a designated voice command)indicating to display the visual element used for magnificationadjustment.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the first input may be a drag gesture starting ata portion 710 on a visual element 530, which corresponds to ashutter-shaped icon. For example, if an external object (e.g., a user'sfinger), which contacts a portion 710 within the visual element 530, isdragged in a direction deviating from a portion of the display 510 wherethe visual element 530 is displayed (e.g., the horizontal direction ofFIG. 7A), the electronic device 101 may determine that the first inputis received from the user.

In response to reception of the first input, the electronic device 101may display a UI 720 for adjusting magnification on a portion of thedisplay 510, as shown in FIG. 7B. The time point at which the electronicdevice 101 activates the remaining cameras different from a currentlyactivated camera capturing the preview image 520, among the plurality ofcameras, may correspond to the time point at which the electronic device101 determines that the first input is received.

For example, it is assumed that the preview image 520 has amagnification of 1.0× before the first input is received, and theelectronic device 101 activates a first camera (e.g., the first camera310-1 of FIG. 5C) equipped with a wide-angle lens, among the pluralityof cameras. In response to reception of the first input, the electronicdevice 101 may activate one or more of the remaining cameras from amongthe plurality of cameras based on the magnification range of the firstcamera. For example, if the electronic device 101 further includes asecond camera (e.g., the second camera 310-2 of FIG. 5C), which isequipped with a standard lens and a third camera, and based on atelephoto lens (e.g., the third camera 310-3 of FIG. 5C), the electronicdevice 101 may activate the second camera, which has a magnificationrange relatively close to the magnification range of the activated firstcamera, among the second camera and the third camera.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may activate differentcameras among the plurality of cameras based on differentiations in thefirst input. For example, in a state where the first device, which isbased on the wide-angle lens, is activated, if the electronic device 101receives a first input, which starts at the portion 710 and moves at adesignated speed or more, the electronic device 101 may simultaneouslyactivate the second camera and the third camera or may activate thethird camera (e.g., and exclude activation of other cameras).

Referring to FIG. 7B, in response to reception of the first input, theelectronic device 101 may display, in the UI 720, an image including aplurality of markings indicating a scale of magnification, and at leastone text box located adjacent to the image and displaying magnificationand/or zoom ratio information. After displaying the UI 720, theelectronic device 101 may receive a drag gesture, which is a secondinput received after the first input, for example, starting at a portion710 within the UI 720 and stopping at a portion 715, different from theportion 710. The electronic device 101 may adjust the magnification ofthe preview image 520 based on the drag gesture. If the second input,received after the first input, is a drag gesture moving in a rightwardsdirection in the UI 720 (e.g., “increasing” according to the indicatedscale), the electronic device 101 gradually increases the magnificationof the preview image 520 from 1.0× using a digital zoom function.

In the case where the magnification of the preview image 520 correspondsto a designated threshold (e.g., 2.0×) for switching between the firstcamera and the second camera (e.g., the second camera 310-2 of FIG. 5C),which is based on the standard lens, the electronic device 101 mayswitch the camera used to display the preview image 520 from the firstcamera to the second camera. As described above, since the second camerais activated by the first input, which is received before the secondinput, the camera switch can be seamlessly performed at a time pointcorresponding to the designated threshold. After the camera used todisplay the preview image 520 is changed from the first camera to thesecond camera, the electronic device 101 according to an embodiment mayfurther activate the remaining cameras (e.g., the third camera, having amagnification range adjacent to a magnification range of the secondcamera) among the plurality of cameras, based on the magnification rangeof the second camera.

Activating the remaining cameras except for the camera used to displaythe preview image 520, by the electronic device 101, may be terminatedat least partially based on the ceasing of the second input. Forexample, if a second input, such as a drag gesture, is terminated at thepoint 715 and then no additional input is received in the UI 720 for adesignated time, the electronic device 101 may terminate display of theUI 720 and deactivate the remaining cameras except for the camera usedto display the preview image 520.

Since the electronic device 101 according to certain embodimentsactivates a camera, which is to be switched by a second input, based onthe first input which is performed in the UI 720 and received before thesecond input for magnification adjustment, a delay occurring due to thecamera switching by the second input can be reduced. In addition to thevarious gestures (a pinch-to-zoom gesture and a drag gesture) performedon the display 510, described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6B and FIGS.7A to 7B, the electronic device 101 according to certain embodiments mayadjust the magnification of the preview image 520 and perform switchingbetween the plurality of cameras in response to reception of inputhaving a different form distinct from a touch gesture.

FIG. 8A is an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras basedon the movement of an external object 810 included in a preview image520 by an electronic device 101 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 8Bis an example diagram illustrating an operation of adjusting themagnification of at least one camera among a plurality of cameras basedon the movement of an external object 810 included in a preview image520 by an electronic device 101 according to an embodiment. Theelectronic device 101 of FIGS. 8A to 8B may correspond to the electronicdevice 101 of FIGS. 1, 3, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B. For example, theelectronic device 101 of FIGS. 8A to 8B may perform at least one ofoperations of FIG. 4 .

In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may adjust the magnificationof the preview image 520 based on a user's gesture captured by one ormore of the plurality of cameras (and depicted within the preview image520). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the electronic device 101may detect a user in an image acquired from a camera used to display thepreview image 520. The user and/or the user's gesture may be detectedusing object recognition techniques applicable to digital imagery, thetechniques of which are beyond the scope of this disclosure. The usermay also adjust the magnification of the preview image 520 based on avoice command and/or a motion, without touching the electronic device101. For example, the second input for magnification adjustment mayinclude a user's motion of moving the user's palm in a designateddirection (e.g., upwards and/or downwards). The form of the second inputis not limited to the above example, and may include, for example, auser's motion of adjusting the distance between the two palms of theuser.

The electronic device 101 may identify the first input, which is to bereceived before the second input, using the activated camera. Forexample, the first input may include a motion of unfolding one's palms.If a user exposes an external object, such as a palm, toward theelectronic device 101 and/or a camera of the electronic device 101, theelectronic device 101 may identify the first input usingobject-recognition (e.g., recognizing a palm), for example. Referring toFIG. 8A, the electronic device 101 may identify a portion in which anexternal object 810 related to the first input is captured, in thepreview image 510. In response to the identification of the first input,the electronic device 101 may activate another camera distinct from thecamera corresponding to the preview image 520, among the plurality ofcameras.

The user may expose the palm towards the electronic device 101 and thenmove the palm upwards and/or downwards. FIG. 8B illustrates a UI 720displayed, by the electronic device 101, in the display 510 according tothe reception of the first input by the user's palm moving. For example,if the user moves the palm upward, the electronic device 101 maygradually increase the magnification of the preview image 520 accordingto the moving distance and/or moving speed of the palm. If themagnification of the preview image 520 corresponds to a designatedthreshold for switching between the plurality of cameras, the electronicdevice 101 may perform switching between the plurality of cameras. Forexample, the electronic device 101 may switch the camera used to displaythe preview image 520 from a camera having a relatively lowmagnification to a camera having a relatively high magnification. Inanother example, if the user moves the palm downwards, the electronicdevice 101 may gradually reduce the magnification of the preview image520 according to the moving distance and/or a movement speed of thepalm. In this case, the camera used to capture the preview image 520and/or an image may be switched from a camera having a relatively highmagnification to a camera having a relatively low magnification.

The electronic device 101 according to an embodiment may display, in thedisplay 510 (e.g., in the UI 720), a result of changing themagnification of the preview image 520 and/or a result of switching thecamera. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may output theresult of changing the magnification of the preview image 520 and/or theresult of switching the camera based on a voice signal and/or a hapticsignal (e.g., a haptic signal based on a vibration motor). For example,referring to FIG. 8B, in response to adjustment of the magnification ofthe preview image 520 based on the movement of the user's palm, theelectronic device 101 may display the adjusted magnification (e.g., anumerical value, such as 3.5×) in the UI 720 and output a voice signalindicating a magnification (for example, “a magnification has beenchanged to a magnification of 3.5 times”), using a speaker of theelectronic device 101.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart 900 illustrating an operation of activating atleast one camera among a plurality of cameras, by an electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments. The electronic device of FIG. 9 maycorrespond to the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1 and 3 . For example,the operation of FIG. 9 may be performed by the electronic device 101and/or the processor 120 of FIG. 3 . The operation of FIG. 9 may, forexample, be associated with at least some (e.g., operations 420 and 430of FIG. 4 ) of operations of FIG. 4 . For example, in response toreception of the first input based on operation 410 of FIG. 4 , theelectronic device may perform at least one of operations of FIG. 9 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , in operation 910, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may identify the magnification range of a firstcamera related to a preview image. In response to the first input, whichis received before the second input, which is received in order toadjust the magnification, the electronic device may perform operation910. The first camera may be activated to display a preview image in thedisplay of the electronic device before the first input is received.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may identify a first camera,which is used to obtain an image stored in a buffer of a memory, among aplurality of cameras. In response to the identification of the firstcamera, the electronic device may identify the magnification range ofthe identified first camera, based on operation 910. In an embodiment,the electronic device may identify information related to themagnification range and/or the focal length of the first camera. Theinformation may include a magnification range, which is adjustable basedon the first camera, and/or a threshold of magnification, which becomesa reference for switching a camera, used for capturing an image, fromthe first camera to another camera.

Referring to FIG. 9 , in operation 920, the electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may select at least one second camera from amongthe plurality of camera, based on a magnification range of the firstcamera, which is identified based on operation 910. The second cameramay be another camera distinct from the first camera, among theplurality of cameras included in the electronic device. For example, theelectronic device may select a camera that has a magnification rangeproximate/adjacent to a magnification range of the first camera, amongthe plurality of cameras. For example, the electronic device may selectthe second camera based on an ability to transition from themagnification range of the first camera to the magnification range ofthe second camera smoothly upon reaching a designated threshold.

In the example of FIG. 5C, if the third camera 310-3 including atelephoto lens is activated, the electronic device may select the secondcamera 310-2 including a standard lens, based on operations 910 and 920.The magnification range of the second camera 310-2 may adjacent to amagnification range of the third camera 310-3. In the case where thepreview image is displayed based on the second camera 310-2 including astandard lens, the electronic device may select both the first camera310-1 including the wide-angle lens and the third cameras 310-3including the telephoto lens, based on operations 910 and 920. Themagnification ranges of the first camera 310-1 and the third camera310-3 may adjacent to a magnification range of the second camera 310-2.In the case where the preview image is displayed based on the firstcamera 310-1, the electronic device may perform operations 910 and 920in response to the first input, and thus may select the second camera310-2, which has a magnification range adjacent to the magnificationrange of the first camera 310-1.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may select at least one secondcamera from among the plurality of cameras, based on the magnificationrange of the first camera and the first input. Referring to FIG. 5C, inresponse to reception of a drag gesture (for example, a drag gesturethat starts within a designated portion 710 of the display 510 of FIG.7A), which is performed at a designated speed or higher in a state wherethe third camera 310-3 is activated, the electronic device may selectnot only the second camera 310-2 having a magnification range abuttingthe magnification range of the third camera 310-3, but also the firstcamera 310-1.

Referring to FIG. 9 , in operation 930, the electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may activate at least one second camera, selectedbased on operation 920. In an embodiment, the electronic device mayallocate a buffer, which is to be used for storing an image, to at leastone second camera. In an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit,to the at least one second camera, a command (e.g., DMA ON) whichutilizes an image acquired by the at least one second camera to bestored in the allocated buffer. The at least one second camera may enteran activated state from a sleep state based on operation 920. The atleast one second camera may be used to capture an image, which isacquired from an image sensor based on a designated period (e.g., aperiod of a Vsync signal), to be stored in a designated portion (e.g.,the buffer) of the memory. After activation of the at least one secondcamera, the electronic device may, for example, based on operations 440to 470 of FIG. 4 , switch the camera used to display the preview image,between the first camera and the at least one second camera.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart 1000 illustrating an operation performed by atleast one of a plurality of cameras included in an electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments. The electronic device of FIG. 10 maycorrespond to the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1 and 3 . For example,operations of FIG. 10 may be performed by the electronic device 101and/or at least one of the plurality of cameras 310-1 and 310-2 of FIG.3 . Operations of FIG. 10 may, for example, be associated with at leastsome of operations of FIG. 4 and/or operations of FIG. 9 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1010, a camera of an electronicdevice according to certain embodiments may receive a request foractivation of a camera from a processor. The processor may correspondto, for example, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 3 . In anembodiment, the processor may transmit the request to the camera, basedon operation 430 of FIG. 4 and/or operation 930 of FIG. 9 . Beforereceiving the request, the state of the camera may correspond to a sleepstate.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1020, a camera of an electronicdevice according to certain embodiments may be initialized based on therequest. In an embodiment, the camera may be initialized in response toreception of the request. The initialization of the camera may includeinitialization of an image sensor and/or initialization of an ISPconnected to the image sensor.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1030, a camera of an electronicdevice according to certain embodiments may identify a buffer in amemory, which is included in the request. In an embodiment, after theinitialization, the camera may identify the buffer. The buffer, which isa designated portion of a memory, may include, for example, a queue forstoring a plurality of images continuously output from the image sensor,based on a first-in first-out (FIFO) scheme. In an embodiment, thecamera may identify the buffer by extracting an address of the buffer inthe memory, which is included in the request of operation 1010.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1040, a camera of an electronicdevice according to certain embodiments may store the image, acquiredfrom the image sensor, in the identified buffer. In an embodiment, inresponse to identifying the buffer based on operation 1030, the image,which is acquired from the image sensor of the camera, may be stored inthe identified buffer. The storing of the image in the buffer by thecamera may be performed based on a signal, for example a Vsync signal,which has a designated period. The image stored in the buffer may beused for displaying the preview image based on operations 460 and 470 ofFIG. 4 , for example.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1050, a camera of an electronicdevice according to certain embodiments may determine whether a requestfor deactivation thereof is received from a processor. In an embodiment,in a state in which the image acquired from the image sensor is storedin a buffer based on operation 1040, the electronic device may receive arequest for deactivation of a camera from the processor. In anembodiment, the processor may request deactivation of the camera atleast partially based on the ceasing of the second input. In anembodiment, if the camera is used to display the preview image, theprocessor may not request deactivation of the camera even after theceasing of the second input, and may request deactivation of the camerabased on other events, such as termination of the camera application.

In the case where a request for deactivation of the camera is notreceived from the processor (indicated by “No” in reference numeral1050), the electronic device may maintain storage of the image, which isacquired from the image sensor, in the buffer, for example based onoperation 1040. In the case where a request for deactivation of thecamera is received from the processor (indicated by “Yes” in referencenumeral 1050), the camera of the electronic device according to certainembodiments may terminate storage of the image in the buffer, inoperation 1060 (e.g., the image may be deleted).

In an embodiment, in response to reception of a request associated withdeactivation of the camera, the camera may enter a sleep state from anactivated state. In response to entering the sleep state, the camera maystop storing the image in the buffer. In an embodiment, the camera,which has entered the sleep state based on operation 1060, may receiveagain a request related to activation of the camera from the processor.In this case, the camera may resume storing the image in the bufferbased on the operations 1030 and 1040 without performing initializationof the camera based on the operation 1020.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart 1100 for illustrating an operation of anelectronic device according to certain embodiments. The electronicdevice of FIG. 11 may correspond to the electronic device 101 of FIGS. 1and 3 . For example, the operation of FIG. 11 may be performed by theelectronic device 101 and/or the processor 120 of FIG. 3 . The operationof FIG. 11 may be associated with at least some of operations of FIG. 4, for example. The operation of FIG. 11 may be performed by, forexample, executing a designated application such as a cameraapplication.

Referring to FIG. 11 , in operation 1110, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may display a preview image based on at least apart of an image acquired from a first camera among a plurality ofcameras. In an embodiment, the first camera may enter an activated statein order to display the preview image, and the remaining cameras exceptthe first camera among the plurality of cameras may remain in a sleepstate. The preview image may be displayed on at least a portion of thedisplay of the electronic device, and may be displayed together with atleast one visual element (e.g., the visual element 530 of FIG. 5B) forcontrolling the plurality of cameras. In an embodiment, the electronicdevice may perform operation 1110 similar to operation 410 of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , in operation 1120, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may receive a first input from a user of theelectronic device. The first input may be an input that is defined to bereceived prior to reception of a second input for adjustment of themagnification. The first input may be an input that needs to be receivedbefore the second input. For example, the first input may include atleast one of a user's gesture for simultaneously touching at least twocontacts 610 and 620 of the preview image 520 of FIG. 6A, a user'sgesture that starts at a point 710 within the designated visual element530 of FIG. 7A and is dragged outside the visual element 530, and avoice signal including a wake-up command and a user's gesture showing adesignated external object of FIG. 8A. In an embodiment, the electronicdevice may perform operation 1120 similar to operation 420 of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , in operation 1130, the electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments may activate at least one second cameradistinct from the first camera. In an embodiment, in response toreception of the first input based on operation 1120, the electronicdevice may activate the at least one second camera. For example, theelectronic device may perform operation 1130 similar to operations 430of FIG. 4 and/or operations 920 and 930 of FIG. 9 . The at least onesecond camera may enter an activated state based on at least one of theoperations of FIG. 10 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , in operation 1140, the electronic deviceaccording to certain embodiments may receive a second input adjusting amagnification level of the preview image. For example, the second inputmay be continuously received after the first input. For example, thesecond input may include at least one of a pinch-to-zoom gestureperformed in FIG. 6B, a gesture performed within the UI 720 of FIG. 7B,and a voice signal including a command related to the moving and/ormagnification adjustment of the designated external object in FIG. 8B.In an embodiment, the electronic device may perform operation 1140similar to operation 440 of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , in operation 1150, an electronic device accordingto certain embodiments may display a preview image based on at least apart of another image (e.g., a second image) acquired from a secondcamera. In an embodiment, the electronic device may perform operation1150 similar to operations 450 and 460 of FIG. 4 . In a state where thepreview image is displayed based on at least a part of another image,the electronic device may stop displaying the preview image, which isperformed based on at least a part of the image acquired from the firstcamera. That is, based on the magnification adjustment of operation1140, the device may activate a second camera having the desirablemagnification characteristics and transition to displaying a previewimage based at least partly on image information captured by the secondcamera. This may be advantageous in situations in which the user'scustom magnification level exceeds or is in danger of exceeding themagnification characteristics of the originally activated camera. Thus,the device may execute a switch to the second camera such that theuser's ability to customize magnification is not impaired or limited bythe first camera.

An electronic device according to certain embodiments may increase thenumber of activated cameras, among the plurality of cameras, in responseto a first designated input, for example, a first input which isreceived before a second input for adjustment of magnification. Thecamera that is additionally activated in response to the first input maybe used to display the preview image by magnification adjustmentaccording to a second input. For example, if the adjusted magnificationaccording to the second input enters a magnification range correspondingto the additionally activated camera, the electronic device may displaythe preview image using an image acquired from the additionallyactivated camera. In response to identification that the second input isterminated, the electronic device may decrease the number of activatedcameras. For example, the electronic device may deactivate the remainingcameras except for the camera used to display the preview image, amongthe plurality of cameras.

According to certain embodiments, an electronic device may include: adisplay; a plurality of cameras; a memory for storing instructions; andat least one processor operably coupled with the display, the pluralityof cameras, and the memory, such that, if the instructions are executed,the at least one processor is configured to: display, in the display, apreview image based on at least a part of an image, which is acquiredfrom a first camera among the plurality of cameras; receive a firstinput in a state where the preview image is displayed, such that thefirst input is received before a second input for adjustment of amagnification of the preview image; in response to reception of thefirst input, activate (enable) a second camera among the plurality ofcameras; receive the second input for adjustment of the magnification ofthe preview image in a state where another image distinct from the imageis acquired using the activated second camera; and display the previewimage, based on at least a part of the another image and at leastpartially based on reception of the second input.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: in responseto reception of the first input, activate the second camera having amagnification range distinct from a designated first magnification rangeassociated with the first camera; and in response to identification thatthe magnification of the preview image enters a magnification range ofthe second camera according to the second input, change an image used todisplay the preview image from the image acquired from the first camerato another image acquired from the second camera.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to cease displayof the preview image, based on at least a part of the image acquiredfrom the first camera and at least partially based on the reception ofthe second input.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to maintainacquiring the image from the first camera in a state where the previewimage is displayed based on at least a part of the another image.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: activate thesecond camera in response to reception of the first input including agesture touching at least two contacts within the display; and adjust amagnification of the preview image according to a distance between theat least two contacts within the display, at least partially based onthe reception of the second input including a gesture for adjusting thedistance between the at least two contacts.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: based on amoving speed or a distance between the at least two contacts movingwithin the display, change an image used to display the preview imagefrom the image acquired from the first camera to the another imageacquired from the second camera.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: in responseto reception of the first input for displaying a user interface (UI) foradjustment of the magnification, display the UI in the display; andreceive, in a state where the UI is displayed, the second input based ona point that touches at a portion of the display on which the UI isdisplayed.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: in responseto reception of the second input including a touch gesture performed ina designated area of the UI or a drag gesture terminated in thedesignated area, change an image used to display the preview image fromthe image acquired from the first camera to another image acquired fromthe second camera.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: identifytermination of the second input in the state where the preview image isdisplayed based on at least a part of the another image; and in responseto identification of the termination of the second input, deactivate(disable) the first camera.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: in responseto identification of the termination of the second input, cease storingthe image acquired from the first camera in the memory.

In an electronic device according to an embodiment, if the instructionsare executed, the at least one processor is configured to: in responseto activation of the second camera, store the image, acquired from thefirst camera, and the another image, acquired from the activated secondcamera, in at least one buffer based on the memory.

A method of an electronic device according to certain embodiments mayinclude: displaying, in a display of the electronic device, a previewimage based on at least a part of an image, which is acquired from afirst camera among the plurality of cameras of the electronic device;receiving a first input in a state where the preview image is displayed,the first input is received before a second input for adjustment of amagnification of the preview image; in response to reception of thefirst input, activating a second camera among the plurality of cameras;receiving the second input for adjustment of the magnification of thepreview image in a state where another image, distinct from the image,is acquired using the activated second camera; and displaying thepreview image, based on at least a part of the another image and atleast partially based on reception of the second input.

According to an embodiment, the activation of the second cameraincludes: in response to reception of the first input, activating thesecond camera having a magnification range distinct from a magnificationrange of the first camera; and the displaying of the preview image basedon at least a part of the another image includes: in response toidentification that the magnification of the preview image enters amagnification range of the second camera according to the second input,changing an image used to display the preview image from the imageacquired from the first camera to another image acquired from the secondcamera.

According to an embodiment, the displaying the preview image based on atleast a part of the another image includes ceasing displaying of thepreview image, based on at least a part of the image acquired from thefirst camera.

According to an embodiment, the displaying the preview image based on atleast a part of the another image includes maintaining to acquire theimage from the first camera.

According to an embodiment, the reception of the first input includesreceiving the first input including a gesture touching at least twocontacts within the display, and the reception of the second inputincludes receiving the second input including a gesture for adjusting adistance between the at least two contacts.

According to an embodiment, the displaying of the preview image based onat least a part of the another image includes changing the image used todisplay the preview image, from the image acquired from the first camerato the another image acquired from the second camera, based on a movingspeed or a distance between the at least two contacts within thedisplay.

The method of the electronic device according to an embodiment furtherincludes: displaying the UI in the display in response to reception ofthe first input for displaying a user interface (UI) for adjustment ofthe magnification, such that reception of the second input includesreceiving, in a state where the UI is displayed, the second input basedon a point that touches at a portion of the display on which the UI isdisplayed.

According to an embodiment, the displaying the preview image based on atleast a part of the another image may include: in response to receptionof the second input including a touch gesture performed in a designatedarea of the UI or a drag gesture terminated in the designated area,changing the image used to display the preview image, from the imageacquired from the first camera to the another image acquired from thesecond camera.

According to an embodiment, a method of an electronic device may furtherinclude: identifying termination of the second input in a state wherethe preview image is displayed based on at least a part of the anotherimage; and in response to the identification of the termination of thesecond input, deactivating the first camera.

Methods according to embodiments stated in claims and/or specificationsof the disclosure may be implemented in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software.

When the methods are implemented by software, a computer-readablestorage medium for storing one or more programs (software modules) maybe provided. The one or more programs stored in the computer-readablestorage medium may be configured for execution by one or more processorswithin the electronic device. The at least one program may includeinstructions that cause the electronic device to perform the methodsaccording to certain embodiments of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims and/or disclosed herein.

The programs (software modules or software) may be stored innon-volatile memories including a random access memory and a flashmemory, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead Only Memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disc storage device, a CompactDisc-ROM (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), or other type opticalstorage devices, or a magnetic cassette. Alternatively, any combinationof some or all of the may form a memory in which the program is stored.Further, a plurality of such memories may be included in the electronicdevice.

In addition, the programs may be stored in an attachable storage devicewhich is accessible through communication networks such as the Internet,Intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and storagearea network (SAN), or a combination thereof. Such a storage device mayaccess a device that performs an embodiment of the disclosure via anexternal port. Further, a separate storage device on the communicationnetwork may access a portable electronic device.

In the above-described detailed embodiments of the disclosure, acomponent included in the disclosure is expressed in the singular or theplural according to a presented detailed embodiment. However, thesingular form or plural form is selected for convenience of descriptionsuitable for the presented situation, and certain embodiments of thedisclosure are not limited to a single element or multiple elementsthereof. Further, either multiple elements expressed in the descriptionmay be configured into a single element or a single element in thedescription may be configured into multiple elements.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tocertain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure shouldnot be defined as being limited to the embodiments, but should bedefined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a display; aplurality of cameras; a memory storing instructions; and at least oneprocessor operably coupled with the display, the plurality of cameras,and the memory, wherein, the instructions are executable by the at leastone processor to cause the electronic device to: display, on thedisplay, a preview image based on at least a part of a first imageacquired using a first camera from among the plurality of cameras;receive a first input for adjusting a magnification of the preview imagewhen a second image is acquired using a second camera among theplurality of cameras; in response to identifying that a magnificationlevel of the preview image exceeds a threshold level, change the previewimage from at least the part of the first image to at least a part ofthe second image.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein thesecond camera includes a magnification range at least partially distinctfrom a magnification range of the first camera.
 3. The electronic deviceof claim 2, the instructions are further executable by the at least oneprocessor to cause the electronic device to: maintain acquisition of thefirst image by the first camera when the preview image is displayed,while displaying the preview image based on at least the part of thesecond image acquired by the second camera.
 4. The electronic device ofclaim 2, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at leastone processor to cause the electronic device to: receive a second inputbefore receiving the first input, and activate the second camera inresponse to receiving the second input.
 5. The electronic device ofclaim 4, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at leastone processor to cause the electronic device to: in response toactivation of the second camera, store the first image and the secondimage in at least one buffer of the memory.
 6. The electronic device ofclaim 4, wherein the second input correspond to a user's action thatneeds to be received prior to receiving the first input.
 7. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the at least one processor to cause the electronic deviceto: while the preview image acquired by the first camera is displayed,identify a first user's voice signal; in response to the first user'svoice signal being identified, activate the second camera among theplurality of cameras; while acquiring the second image distinct from thefirst image using the second camera, identify a second user's voicesignal for adjusting the magnification of the preview image; in responseto the second user's voice signal being identified, display, the previewimage based on at least a part of the second image; wherein the firstuser's voice signal is distinct from the second user's voice signal, andthe first user's voice signal is distinct from the second user's voicesignal are predetermined voice signals.
 8. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at leastone processor to cause the electronic device to: identify amagnification range of the first camera; based on the identifiedmagnification range, select the second camera from among the pluralityof cameras, wherein the second camera has a magnification range adjacentto the magnification range of the first camera; and based on themagnification range of the first camera, activate the at least onesecond camera.
 9. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein theinstructions are further executable by the at least one processor tocause the electronic device to: in response to receiving a drag gesturewhich is performed at a designated speed or higher in a state where thefirst camera is activated, activate a third camera in addition to thesecond camera.
 10. A method to operate an electronic device, the methodcomprising: displaying, on the display, a preview image based on atleast a part of a first image acquired using a first camera from amongthe plurality of cameras; receiving a first input for adjusting amagnification of the preview image when a second image is acquired usinga second camera among the plurality of cameras; in response toidentifying that a magnification level of the preview image exceeds athreshold level, changing the preview image from at least the part ofthe first image to at least a part of the second image.
 11. The methodof claim 9, wherein the second camera includes a magnification range atleast partially distinct from a magnification range of the first camera.12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: maintaining acquisitionof the first image by the first camera when the preview image isdisplayed, while displaying the preview image based on at least the partof the second image acquired by the second camera.
 13. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising: receiving a second input before receivingthe first input, and activating the second camera in response toreceiving the second input.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: in response to activation of the second camera, storing thefirst image and the second image in at least one buffer of the memory.15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second input correspond to auser's action that needs to be received prior to receiving the firstinput.
 16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: while the previewimage acquired by the first camera is displayed, identifying a firstuser's voice signal; in response to the first user's voice signal beingidentified, activating the second camera among the plurality of cameras;while acquiring the second image distinct from the first image using thesecond camera, identifying a second user's voice signal for adjustingthe magnification of the preview image; in response to the second user'svoice signal being identified, displaying the preview image based on atleast a part of the second image; wherein the first user's voice signalis distinct from the second user's voice signal, and the first user'svoice signal is distinct from the second user's voice signal arepredetermined voice signals.
 17. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: identifying a magnification range of the first camera; basedon the identified magnification range, selecting the second camera fromamong the plurality of cameras, wherein the second camera has amagnification range adjacent to the magnification range of the firstcamera; and based on the magnification range of the first camera,activating the at least one second camera.